SPOTLIGHT
What does Technetix rOLT offer that others don’t? Offering a new model for rural broadband in low-density or underserved pockets, rOLT is housed in an IP68-rated enclosure and includes a hardened carrier-grade Ethernet switch. Its modular design supports pluggable modules for GPON and XGS-PON services and is highly scalable from just 32 up to 512 homes. While it is weather-resilient and withstands challenging environments, rOLT is lightweight and pole, pit, building, or manhole mountable. This flexibility combined with its ruggedised specification removes the need for protective cabinets and buildings, eliminating costs and complexities associated with planning permission, wayleaves and civil construction works. Additionally, rOLT’s compact footprint and minimal power consumption further reduce operational costs compared to traditional centralised OLTs.
What’s the optimal way to deploy CAPEX? The common approach to FTTH models has given rise to full-sized installations irrespective of subscriber demand. In rural areas, the cost involved in sinking in oversized equipment promotes lengthy ROI timelines. In response to this issue, rOLT supports to-scale capacities and proportionate deployments. Engineered to service low-density uptake, rOLT’s modularity enables ISPs the option to scale up service provision as and when demand increases. With the potential to transform rural broadband economics, this ‘right- size’ model aligns CapEx to subscribers, maximising efficiency and minimising risk. Is this just for residential? With rural locations more prone to the Swiss Cheese effect, rOLT provides a small form factor ‘infill’ solution to the gaps created by trunk fibre builds.
But its value extends beyond residential broadband. rOLT’s carrier-grade switch includes Ethernet break-out for non- residential applications, supporting business-grade services for rural SMEs, as well as backhaul for mobile small cells. Indeed, where mobile reception can be poor in remote areas, this capacity offers critical improvements to 4G and 5G coverage along rural transport corridors. It can also connect smart infrastructure - environmental monitoring stations, security cameras, traffic systems and agricultural IoT sensors - enabling new service models for municipalities, farms and utilities. Short term, this could really benefit communities blighted by the Swiss Cheese effect. In phased housing developments where FTTH activation can be slow, rOLT presents an interim solution to serve show homes and early-phase residents. This helps accelerate occupancy and improve customer satisfaction.
May 2025 Volume 47 No.2
107
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